Published: Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 11:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.

With its preliminary selection as the site of the 2017 world championships, local officials hope Nathan Benderson Park will cement a beachhead for rowing in the United States.

If that vision reaches fruition, Southwest Florida and the U.S. would become ever-more competitive as a destination for global events against their counterparts in Europe, where the sport enjoys solid popularity and where venues have been developed to painstaking specifications.

To date, the U.S. has largely been overlooked.

But that could change after international rowing officials and athletes alike compete here in the 2016 World Cup and the following year in the world championships.

Already, Suncoast Nature Aquatic Center Association, the nonprofit that is spearheading local rowing efforts, is thinking big. The group has a plan to bid for, and host, national and international events annually at the park into the foreseeable future.

“There are other places to row in the United States, but not like what you see in other countries around the world,” said Paul Blackketter, Suncoast Aquatic's chief operating officer. “We've built that kind of facility, though, and now that we have it we can start attracting bigger events and create new ones that did not exist before.”

By 2017, 23 years will have passed since the U.S. hosted the World Rowing Championships, the sport's largest competition outside the Olympics, for the first and only time in Indianapolis.

Since then, while the Indianapolis Rowing Center has hosted many national title events, like the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships, it has failed to land another international title event.

“If you look at the sport, it is traditionally dominated by Europeans,” said Eric Stoll, a former executive director of the Indianapolis Rowing Center for 12 years and an active master rower. “The championships don't come to North America very often, so it doesn't surprise me that it's taken this long to consider the U.S. a second time.”

Indianapolis' notoriously inclement weather also may have played a role in it being bypassed, said Bill Manning, associate coach for Harvard University's rowing team. Its nickname is “Windy Indy.”

Wind played a role in May, when Indianapolis hosted the NCAA Big Ten Women's Rowing Championships. Gusts during that event were so strong a few boats sank, and the rest of the competition was compromised.

“It was chaotic,” Manning said. “So now Indianapolis has that going against them. The one thing that we don't know about Sarasota yet is what the weather conditions are going to be like. If the weather is cooperative, it's a home run.”

But to potentially hit that home run will be costly.

Sarasota and Manatee counties collectively put $5.6 million toward hosting the 2017 World Rowing Championships, with Manatee real estate firm Benderson Development Co. pledging to make up any deficit if costs exceed that amount.

“The goal is to host enough events and use the boathouse and other structures on site to make Benderson Park self-sustainable,” Blackketter said.

“We're moving in that direction,” he added. “Once the buildings are up and we can reach out for corporate sponsorships, we'll be even closer to that goal.”

But hosting multiple events has proved a tough hurdle for venues outside of Indianapolis, as well.

Olympic rowing events took place on Lake Lanier in Georgia during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, for instance, but it also has not hosted another international rowing event since.

That is partly because there have not been many international events to bid on, said Glenn Merry, chief executive officer with U.S. Rowing, the governing body behind the sport in the United States.

While the World Rowing Championships has been around since the 1960s, the World Rowing Cup and World Rowing Masters Regatta were not created until 1997.

The sport's growing popularity domestically also could help attract more international events.

In 1994, U.S. Rowing estimated there were about 35,000 active rowers in the U.S. Today, there are nearly 10 times that amount, and at least 100,000 compete regularly. In 1995, there were just under 400 rowing organizations nationwide. There are now almost 1,200.

Those numbers appear to favor Benderson Park and boost its chances of landing major rowing events.

This month, in fact, Benderson Park will host its largest rowing event to date, the U.S. Rowing Masters Championships.

Last year's championships, held in Worcester, Mass., drew 1,942 entrants — the most in the regatta's history — and generated $1.4 million in economic impact.

In October 2014, the park will host the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission's “Dragon Boat Festival,” expected to draw thousands of athletes to a three-day event.

Blackketter also is arranging for stand-up paddle board races, Olympic-distance triathlons and canoe and kayak events to be held at the park.

“We've invited the leaders of these different organizations to Sarasota-Bradenton and asked them to design a course here,” Blackketter said. “It's a helluva lot harder for them not to come here when we give them a say in that.”

If formerly awarded the 2017 championships next month, Benderson Park also will host the 2016 World Cup, which will serve as an international “dress rehearsal” for the championships.

<p>With its preliminary selection as the site of the 2017 world championships, local officials hope Nathan Benderson Park will cement a beachhead for rowing in the United States.</p><p>If that vision reaches fruition, Southwest Florida and the U.S. would become ever-more competitive as a destination for global events against their counterparts in Europe, where the sport enjoys solid popularity and where venues have been developed to painstaking specifications.</p><p>To date, the U.S. has largely been overlooked.</p><p>But that could change after international rowing officials and athletes alike compete here in the 2016 World Cup and the following year in the world championships.</p><p>Already, Suncoast Nature Aquatic Center Association, the nonprofit that is spearheading local rowing efforts, is thinking big. The group has a plan to bid for, and host, national and international events annually at the park into the foreseeable future.</p><p>“There are other places to row in the United States, but not like what you see in other countries around the world,” said Paul Blackketter, Suncoast Aquatic's chief operating officer. “We've built that kind of facility, though, and now that we have it we can start attracting bigger events and create new ones that did not exist before.”</p><p>By 2017, 23 years will have passed since the U.S. hosted the World Rowing Championships, the sport's largest competition outside the Olympics, for the first and only time in Indianapolis.</p><p>Since then, while the Indianapolis Rowing Center has hosted many national title events, like the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships, it has failed to land another international title event.</p><p>“If you look at the sport, it is traditionally dominated by Europeans,” said Eric Stoll, a former executive director of the Indianapolis Rowing Center for 12 years and an active master rower. “The championships don't come to North America very often, so it doesn't surprise me that it's taken this long to consider the U.S. a second time.”</p><p>Indianapolis' notoriously inclement weather also may have played a role in it being bypassed, said Bill Manning, associate coach for Harvard University's rowing team. Its nickname is “Windy Indy.”</p><p>Wind played a role in May, when Indianapolis hosted the NCAA Big Ten Women's Rowing Championships. Gusts during that event were so strong a few boats sank, and the rest of the competition was compromised.</p><p>“It was chaotic,” Manning said. “So now Indianapolis has that going against them. The one thing that we don't know about Sarasota yet is what the weather conditions are going to be like. If the weather is cooperative, it's a home run.”</p><p>But to potentially hit that home run will be costly.</p><p>Sarasota and Manatee counties collectively put $5.6 million toward hosting the 2017 World Rowing Championships, with Manatee real estate firm Benderson Development Co. pledging to make up any deficit if costs exceed that amount.</p><p>“The goal is to host enough events and use the boathouse and other structures on site to make Benderson Park self-sustainable,” Blackketter said.</p><p>“We're moving in that direction,” he added. “Once the buildings are up and we can reach out for corporate sponsorships, we'll be even closer to that goal.”</p><p>But hosting multiple events has proved a tough hurdle for venues outside of Indianapolis, as well.</p><p>Olympic rowing events took place on Lake Lanier in Georgia during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, for instance, but it also has not hosted another international rowing event since.</p><p>That is partly because there have not been many international events to bid on, said Glenn Merry, chief executive officer with U.S. Rowing, the governing body behind the sport in the United States. </p><p>While the World Rowing Championships has been around since the 1960s, the World Rowing Cup and World Rowing Masters Regatta were not created until 1997.</p><p>The sport's growing popularity domestically also could help attract more international events.</p><p>In 1994, U.S. Rowing estimated there were about 35,000 active rowers in the U.S. Today, there are nearly 10 times that amount, and at least 100,000 compete regularly. In 1995, there were just under 400 rowing organizations nationwide. There are now almost 1,200.</p><p>Those numbers appear to favor Benderson Park and boost its chances of landing major rowing events.</p><p>This month, in fact, Benderson Park will host its largest rowing event to date, the U.S. Rowing Masters Championships.</p><p>Last year's championships, held in Worcester, Mass., drew 1,942 entrants — the most in the regatta's history — and generated $1.4 million in economic impact.</p><p>In October 2014, the park will host the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission's “Dragon Boat Festival,” expected to draw thousands of athletes to a three-day event. </p><p>Blackketter also is arranging for stand-up paddle board races, Olympic-distance triathlons and canoe and kayak events to be held at the park.</p><p>“We've invited the leaders of these different organizations to Sarasota-Bradenton and asked them to design a course here,” Blackketter said. “It's a helluva lot harder for them not to come here when we give them a say in that.”</p><p>If formerly awarded the 2017 championships next month, Benderson Park also will host the 2016 World Cup, which will serve as an international “dress rehearsal” for the championships.</p>